Olympic all around champions – Long-distance runner Mo Farah was illegally brought from Djibouti to the UK at the age of eight or nine, he has revealed in the BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah. Upon arrival, he was forced to look after the children of a family.
Hussein Abdi Kahin, as the 39-year-old athlete is really called, was given the name Mohamed Farah by the woman who took him from Djibouti in East Africa to London.
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The woman told him he was going to live with family in Europe – something he said he was “wildly excited” about. Upon arrival in London, it soon became apparent that in exchange for food he had to do housework for a family and take care of children.
After two years, Farah went to school for the first time and was introduced as a Somali refugee.
An old mentor calls him in the documentary an “unkempt, emotionally and culturally displaced child” who barely spoke English.
Olympic all around champions Farah was a victim of human trafficking as a child
Farah captured four Olympic medals
Until now, Farah, multiple Olympic and world champion, always stated that he came to the UK with his parents as a refugee from Somalia. However, Farah’s parents have never been to the UK.
His mother and two brothers live on a family farm in the separate state of Somaliland. His father was killed in firefights there, when Farah was four years old.
“For years I kept hiding it away, but I can only do that for a certain amount of time,” said Farah, who was urged by his children to tell the truth. With the revelation, Farah hopes to expose human trafficking and slavery.
Olympics 2012 and 2016 champions
Farah, who with the help of his gym teacher was placed in a Somali foster home and acquired British nationality, developed into a top athlete. In 2012 and 2016, he captured Olympic gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. In addition, he became six times world champion at those distances.
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